beginning classes finished!
I help teach a beginner class for my local guild and we finished today! Had 25 quilters ages 10-70's, 2 mother daughter combos, one g-ma/DGD; 2 sisters and a DIL, and several that just wanted to hang with fun quilters and learn.
We taught 4 blocks--rail fence; Drunkard's path; Sarah's Choice (pinwheel in a star); Grandmother's Flower Garden. They then sashed, borders, and today we pin basted and worked on practice pieces quilting on their domestic machines and binding practice pieces. We think it went really well, with all finishing up their tops; pin-basting; got tops stablized; and success with the practice pieces.
We'd changed up the format this year--deciding that they really needed to have a finished (or close enough) project by the end--so we cut the number of blocks we taught (cut applique and pineapple and handquilting).
To other guilds--if you want to grow your quilting community I strongly suggest you think about offering beginner classes as part of the dues to the guild--our guild gets renewed and stronger when we add to the number of quilters in our area though these classes. Get your current members to join as mentors so that the newbie really are pulled into the guild activities. PM me if you want details.